Wood desk construction



Dec. 6, 1932. B. E. RICHARDSON 1,889,811

WOOD DESK CONSTRUCTION Filed March 17. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

A 111001101" chatdson QFforne s Patented Dec. 6, 193 2 V l ifeiatm desk structures andis particularlyvconcerned withja novel and Very practical desk'structure wherein va rious units ofetheudesk' may be made aupj in stock-and the'same assembled readily at any time to provide the completedesln, The desk constructionis largely of wood nd many different designs canibe made, using the unit constructionn ethodiiof making the. desk, L aswill appear on understanding of the inven-.

tion hadfrom the, following description: taken ings,;i n whiclnf Q Fig. Us a frontelevation'ofadesktas made "in connection with the; accompanying draw 'inaccOrdanceWith myinuention,

.g Fig. 2 is-a fragmentary enlarged horizontal section through one side ofgthe desk.

'- Figs. Sfand i are vertical-sectionsQtaken substantially on thelplanes of lines and M, respectively, of Fig.2, the'partslin- Fig.

.3 being shown in somewhatseparated and dis- ,as'sembldrelationJ f'Figl 5''is a vertical sectionon Zthe plane of dine 5e'5of Fig. 4:, and.

7 "@Fig. :6 is) a fragmentary ,frontg'eleyation showingftheyarious' units. of a desk separated and disassembled. 1

Fig. 7 is afliragme'ntarysection-"a lv -of the lower rear fedgeof either pedestal; =s

inth e different figuresofthedrawings. 1 i In-'th'e- .cons truction,-a base unit-for a} desk frame 1 which has apanel bottom 2 of-any suitablemateri'al such as wood orsheet metal.

The frame l'is adaptedj to'have its outer side edges made withany suitable design of mold ing' and e of course many and various kinds 1 "ca'te d at? 3, andthe post's;1as shown'in-Fig 2 :Iin'cross section, are substantiallyin the form of aquadrantof"a-circle;:.that is; the outer sides of the posts are e curved; and the j other two sides lie at rightangle's to each other; @It

7, is also evident that theouter curyed- 'sides of {W091i fi vs e onsent-mm desk pedestals. t I J The top 14' is a usual construction of flaeusp' for desks and at. a. plurality of points at its ---lower side a socket "members. 15 are," secured ofdesigns canib'e applied-for the moldingat a 1 the edgesloftheframe with andi'permanently securedto'the posts by PAT E N'T sf QjFFglcE I nie rannnnrenennsomor I thejaas aa'yite' cavaeas V lected design." Between;therearfpostsB a f vertical panel4 isl'ocated andfjointedtheredistance fbelowa-the-lowerj ends ofthe posts o as indicated at 4a in Fig. '-6. -Betweenfthe Z i i ild rear posts at each side of the units P H' 5i simil rly .permanently"" cured to the P lIPhlralitypf ho i q t drawer vguides 6 are-securedtoffandlie along theinnerlside .ofleachgside of thejuinitiand horizontal crossbars '7 lie at the front-and rear of-the drawer guides as shown inEigfl. These are mounted inespacedtapart-relation .for the; slidable mounting of the drawers '8 V and an. upper s1i de- 9 1as is commonin desk structures. f 4

. A leg 1Q is, used atand below each corner of the] frame 1 through which a; long rod V threaded at its upper; end, is'p'assed," the lower end of eachleglO-iscovered-byacup offer 111116 12, the head of the rod 11 bearing against; I the bottom of the c'up and oyerfthe bottom of the cup and covering saidihead offthe rod ffifOQtjl'gyQf sheet metal; is'fpermanently'jsecure bywe di g-o sP ing-t meont a. 'the-lower' end ofrethecup or; ferrule 12;; The Like reference characters referito like parts rods ll; passv upwardly through; openings in Q Qthe corners of the frame l and'through vertica1-;10 ngitudinal pfassagesjin the posts, 3- so pedestal is provided: including: a rectangular t atth i upp nd mQYJCQ IH W tht which have i-nteriorly threaded "Vertical open- 30, 11 which is placedfover two spacedsaparts5 H ings ther ethrough-for the rods 11 to-connect With, itbeing e'videntthat. onf screwi lg the I rods 11 at their'upper endsintothe socketslf) 11 the ,topfis permanently securedfltdthe desk pedestal. It will be noted-[thatgthe upper] T enjds of the posts 3 are provided with recesses 0 fit the downwardly extending socketmem-l ers1'5v 1 -A back='panel l 6 is in cases i tween thespaced apartideskipedestals' 't'the and shoulders formed adjacent therear edges: of the inner sides 5 of the desk pedestals, said itslower edge connected with a lower'rail or molding 17 which extends between the frames 1' near their rear ends. The molding at its underside is provided with a longitudinal slot or groove iii-which a rod 18 is located (see Fig. 5) the rod passing through the inner sides of'the two frames 1 and equippedwith a head at one end and'a nut at the other to draw the parts together. The

vertical edges of the panel lflasr shown in i .Fig. 2, are guided between the rear posts '3 shoulders being provided by rabbeting'away small portions or" the inner sides 5 of the desk 'pedesta-lsfnear their 'reariedges. The back panel, with" the attached molding 17 is slid downwardly jin the guidegrooves' thus made until the-ends ofthe molding rail 17 come andlocated horizontally a distance below the underside oi; the top 14. This frame includes a back bar-19, side bars 20: and a front'cross A" baizfll, all preferably 0t angle iron, the'vertical flangeiof the front bar 21 extending downwardlyfand the bars being connected-together attlieir corners by reinforcing corner a plates 22. The frame is secured in place to f which can bef made up separately'and then. f assembled is; shown, except that one 'endf of v the-desk pedestal by means ofbolts, shown in Fig; 2; which pass through the vertical flanges of'theside bar's 20; andthe inner-sides 57-qf the pedestals. The frame serves to supportkand guide the usual upperdrawer 23 which is located immediately belowthetop v between-thepedestals; 1 7 3 i In F-igi-c'the' various unitsonelem'ents',

the, deskdoes not appear, it, however, being panel-together with the rod" 18- may all be r separately{manufactured in any "d'esired quantity at ,atime thereby permitting large 7 quantity inanu facture with attendant econ- "omy. When a drawer unit i's placed upon a base 1 the depending lower edge 4w off-the back 4of='a drawer unit is received in a correspond ng groove'inthe upper side ofthe near.

member of the" space l, thereby locating the drawer units properly with respect to the base, that the rods 11" maybe readily insertedthrough the openings in the base andin' the and the -'rod1"18' used so asv to bind the lower parts of the desk together, after'whi'ch'the -pendin g from the top -14,

and especially convenient way Jo-manufacture desks with resultant economy of manufacture and with an ability to obtain many difi'erent designs of desks using the same manufacturing method. The invention has proved to be particularly satisfactory from a manufactu ringvstand oint. The-invention is defined-in the appen ediclaims and is to be considered comprehensive, of all forms of structure. coming within their scope.

Iclaimi LA construction ofthe class describe comprising,"a flat base unit having: a rectangular ont -line, a;d rawer unit adapted to be located above said base unit comprising four corner posts-teach havinga single-longitudinallopefiing theretl irough, avertical back betweenthefl'back corner posts andv vertical sidesbetween the frontand rear posts, a top adapted tobe located overthe drawer unit,

supperti'ng ;Inen'ibersj-- oneundereach corner of'thebase unit having longitudinal openings therethrough, rods extending through tions oi {the basc unit and through the open fings in said: corner posts, and means: rigidlv "mounted, onthe under side of saldi top: wit

which-the upper ends of the r-ode have-detachable connection;

members one at eaclrcorner of and-- below each base unitg andlal top extendin over-the upper endspfi both of'said? pedest'a s a'ndathe said supporting' members, the c-orncrll'p'orspace between them, socket members. haying interiorly threadedopenings-secured t'oithe underside of the top and lncated one over each corner-ofthe drawerholding; units, and rods passing through thesupporting: members the corner portions ofl'said'i base unit and said" drawer holding. unit of said; pedestals and threading at; upper-' endsiinto said? sockets. the sameas the; one showni The bases,"the

drawer 'units, the top,the-legs and the back I a fijconstr uction or the classldesci ibed comprising, a flat baseunit oi? substantially rectangular: out li-ne, supportingmembers one 'fu-n der eachcornen of'the unit-haying; venticgal openings therethrough; said? 7 base units likewise having verticali openings theretlirough in conjunction with the openings inthersupporting members, adravven holding unit includingcorner posts= having longitudinal YGItlCll'OPQHlIlgS oi small size entirely-therethrough adaptedto be placedrinl'conjunction with; the openings v in the base member, said corner posts: at their upper ends; re-

cesses formed therein, a top :located over the posts 3.f The panel lb is then sl'id' 'into place tending upwardly through"; the supporting no I 1,889,811 members, base unit and corner posts and threaded at their upper ends to makedetachable connection with said sockets, said rods snugly engaging the openings in the corner postsA I r unit at its upper side and adjacent its'rear edge havingan elongated groove therein,

and said drawer unit having a back between its rear posts the lower edge of which extends below the lower ends of said posts to be received in said gro'ove and vthereby locatethe drawerunit on the base with'the openings in the posts and insaid base in vertical alignment. f In testimony whereof Iafiix mysignatureg 7 BAYARD E. RICHARDSON,

construction containing theelements m combination defined 1n claim 3, said base 

